{"id":9055,"date":"2019-10-10T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T15:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?p=9055"},"modified":"2021-05-30T18:09:57","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T01:09:57","slug":"wild-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wild-card\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild Card"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n

Lawrence Sher, ASC, re-teams with The Hangover’s <\/em>Todd Phillips to spin a new kind of origin tale.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

By Kevin Martin \/\u00a0<\/span>Photos by Niko Tavernise<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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While Batman\u2019s origins are better known to some fans than their own genealogies, the beginnings of his greatest nemesis, The Joker, remain tantalizingly ill defined in both comics and film. Batman co-creator Bob Kane claimed the arch-villain\u2019s appearance was inspired by actor Conrad Veidt in a silent film; but in terms of backstory, it wasn\u2019t until Alan Moore\u2019s graphic novel, The Killing Joke<\/em>, was published that readers got a possible accounting \u2013 one disputed by the character himself \u2013 suggesting a failed comedian who turns to crime and then becomes disfigured.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Co-screenwriter\/director Todd Phillips began developing Joker<\/em> in 2016, with Warner Bros., intending it to be the first in a series existing separately from the DC Extended Universe. \u201cI liked the idea of telling this story of Arthur Fleck [Joaquin Phoenix] and what he becomes while trying to capture the look, feel and tone of a character study from the 1970s,\u201d Phillips states. \u201cI knew we\u2019d be relying heavily on the performances, and with Joaquin agreeing to take the part, we had one of the true greats. I also knew I wanted Larry Sher [ASC] to shoot it. This is my sixth movie with Larry, and in my opinion, he is one of the great DP\u2019s. I always tell him that if he changed his name to Lorenzo, he\u2019d probably get even more respect.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sher, who was challenged by the idea of tackling the origin story without treating it like comic-book material, says Phillips wanted the look to be old-school and gritty. \u201cThe superhero film is the most ubiquitous genre over the last decade, what with the resurgence of Marvel and DC,\u201d Sher describes. \u201cBut we came at it sideways, from the idea of exploring a villain in a serious way. It doesn\u2019t rely on the usual comic-book movie things, like endless fistfights. It does contain some action, but the big difference is how it\u2019s loaded with tension. There\u2019s a slow-building arc, like a pot boiling, with small bubbles growing larger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Phillips says makeup [designer\/department head] Nikki Ledermann started applying makeup to Phoenix “as we started camera tests. We\u2019d see that one shade of blue read too deep and that another blue had a nice handmade feel and texture \u2013 that\u2019s a great example of the collaboration that goes into every movie.”<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Of course, expectations for Joker are almost <\/strong>limitless, given the many different screen characterizations, which range from Cesar Romero\u2019s TV baddie to Heath Ledger\u2019s Oscar-winning turn. \u201cWithout even counting animated versions, there have been something like seven incarnations of this character on film,\u201d Sher notes, \u201cwith Jared Leto\u2019s version something apart from Heath\u2019s, and both of them from Nicholson\u2019s. Part of that difference comes out of the makeup, which involved all of us, especially with Joaquin\u2019s input. Todd said that Joaquin is our greatest special effect, and he dazzles in a way that means you don\u2019t need people in capes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver had described the Joker in their screenplay, but that was just the start of his visual development. \u201cOur great concept artist Hugh Sicotte took the first shot at illustrating concepts for the character,\u201d the director describes. \u201cI presented those to Joaquin, and he weighed in with his thoughts and ideas. From there we went to makeup [designer\/department head] Nikki Ledermann, and she started applying makeup to him as we started camera tests. We\u2019d see that one shade of blue read too deep and that another blue had a nice handmade feel and texture \u2013 that\u2019s a great example of the collaboration that goes into every movie, even when they don\u2019t involve such a level of experimentation. People were really into and loved the idea of what we were trying to do.” (Michael Mario\u2019s Prosthetic Renaissance executed the final character makeups.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How best to visually enhance the dramatic tension was a prime concern of the filmmakers. \u201cBased on what Todd and I discussed, portraying moments of intimacy in a way that makes the character more engaging was key,\u201d Sher recalls. \u201cWe played up the dichotomies \u2013 there are times when we are some ways off from [the Joker] and he\u2019s very small, which are contrasted with shots where the camera is only a couple feet away. Lens proximity was a big part of the discussion, figuring out how to best put the character\u2019s psychology up front.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Director of Photography Lawrence Sher, ASC (center above) says he was challenged by the idea of tackling the Joker’s origin story without treating it like comic-book material<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This led to a lengthy testing period, during which<\/strong> shooting on film in 65 mm was seriously considered. Sher and Phillips thought a 1.85 aspect ratio felt right, and planned for 35 mm \u201cwell into the eleventh hour, when we decided a larger format would let us isolate our lead even further from his environment, owing to the lesser depth of field,\u201d Sher explains.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Having recently shot Godzilla on ARRI 65, Sher could show Phillips the benefits to shooting Joker<\/em> digitally. \u201cJoaquin\u2019s performance was going to come out in some situations where one take would be all we\u2019d get,\u201d Sher recalls. \u201cSo shooting large-format in low light, pretty much wide-open on these lenses, we needed to know if we nailed it, and not have to wait a day for film to come back from L.A. \u2013 if there were technical issues with focus. With [the ARRI 65] a 40 millimeter or 60 millimeter can give you a medium-lens feel, but still show the field of view of a wider lens, conveying the psychological feeling of being closer to the actor. While the latent Arri 65 sensor is in 2.20 aspect ratio, we were still able to keep our 1.85 within that, using a five percent top and bottom blowup. 1.85 translates to something like a 5K or 5.4K image, and from there we finished in 4K.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Arri Rental supplied a camera package that included a pair of ARRI 65s, plus an ARRI LF and ARRI MINI. Sher used a variety of lenses, which he describes as a \u201cFrankenstein\u201d version of a lens set. As A-camera 1st AC Gregory Irwin describes: \u201cIn addition to the DNA and Prime 65 glass, Larry wanted to explore 35-millimeter lenses for their size, weight, minimum focus and lens speed. They would never fully cover the sensor, but our five-percent extraction was enough to give us a fighting chance to minimize vignetting. It took us a month to go through a couple of hundred lenses and find our set. We found which lenses had to be rebuilt from the inside by opening up the iris blades or changing the rear element. We manipulated the lenses mechanically, detuning them to match in contrast and color, and also changed coatings. We had a large mix, ranging from Canon to Zeiss, Nikkor and Leica R-series.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sher met with Company 3 colorist Jill Bogdanowicz to consult on a show LUT. \u201cJill\u2019s father, Mitch, had worked in Rochester at Kodak for decades,\u201d Sher reveals, \u201cand he came on to help create a look based on Kodak\u2019s [EXR 200T] 5293. Taking this emulation to the nth degree meant mapping 5293 into the Arri 65 log profile. We used it throughout, putting it into the DI station so dailies just transferred straight across.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Phoenix in discussion with Phillips. Sher says the director describes the actor as “our greatest special effect, who dazzles in a way that means you don\u2019t need people in capes.\u201d<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While Phoenix would often deliver welcome surprises, <\/strong>Phillips stresses that the other elements of filmmaking had to be precisely worked out beforehand. \u201cYou want the movie to feel organic, but that requires every point to be evaluated at length during prep,\u201d he emphasizes. \u201cLarry and our producers put together a kind of \u2018murderer\u2019s row\u2019 of New York crew people, including Gaffer Steve Ramsey and Key Grip Tommy Prate, so that helped guarantee there would be no bad surprises. That\u2019s not to say we are one of those films where everything gets a previs and then you go out and shoot that previs; but we left our surprises in the hands of the actors, after having prepped all the looks we wanted the film to have.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Finding New York City locations from the late 1970s\/early \u201980s was also a major challenge. The New Jersey\u2013born Sher recounts vivid memories of the era, \u201cwhere the subways were littered with graffiti, and Times Square certainly didn\u2019t look like it does today,\u201d he smiles.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cProduction Designer Mark Friedberg kind of went berserk \u2013 in a great way \u2013 to bring an authenticity to our version of Gotham,\u201d Phillips adds. \u201cNew York [in that era] was a broken-down city, and we wanted a low-key and naturalistic look, not letting things pop till we get to Arthur becoming Joker, which is when the movie takes a turn with both its look and its vibe.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cSo many things have changed,\u201d Sher states. \u201cLike streetlights being LED instead of sodium-vapor. We figured that some aspects that didn\u2019t look period could be addressed either with the aid of the art department on ground-level changes and through subtle use of visual effects.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Gaffer Steve Ramsey says night locations in New York City required swapping out the “modern LED Cobra heads for period sodium-vapors” a local city contractor provided to reproduce the 1970s-era streetlights.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Gaffer Ramsey notes that with the switch from<\/strong> sodium-vapor to LED for streetlights, another solution presented itself. \u201cWhenever we found a night location, local city contractor Welsbach Electric would swap out the modern LED Cobra heads for period sodium-vapors that they\u2019d held onto,\u201d he explains. As for transforming LED units into period lighting, Ramsey says it took \u201ca month\u2019s lead time to order them in, but we got these dimmable, high-intensity LED lights from China called \u2018corn lights.\u2019 They needed only a bit of gel to stand in for sodium light once we installed them into a fixture. When we needed the impression of mercury vapor while shooting in an alley, the Art Department would find us fixtures to gut, inside of which we could then install RGBAW LED strips. When Larry wanted a very yellow color for the phone booth, we used RGBAWW.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

To enliven interiors, dimmer-board operator Rich Porta provided a fader wing that Sher kept at his monitor. \u201cSo when a TV was on in Arthur\u2019s apartment, or there were flickering fluorescents in the hallway, we had direct control of up to 20 channels,\u201d Ramsey adds. \u201cIt gave Larry options for intensity and rate of flicker without having to get into all the programming that goes into these effects.\u201d The fader wing also morphed into a standard tool used for the duration of shooting. \u201cIt was a fast way to make last-minute adjustments for key fixtures,\u201d Ramsey continues. Other wireless lighting enhancements included Astera PixelTubes for stairwells and Astera Light Drops AX3 that provided a TV effect when boxed in sets of eight units.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sher says that if they could shoot without lighting it at all, they would. \u201cNot out of laziness, but as a choice,\u201d he maintains. \u201cTodd knows that if you take all day to control the light, spending hours setting up big silks to mimic a certain look, you\u2019re setting yourself up for something with a very \u2018movie\u2019 feel. And we both have knee-jerk reactions to scenes that feel too controlled. Todd shot one scene with Arthur in a phone booth in just a sixteen-minute window. We rehearsed it the hour before the sun went down with a stand-in, and then just blew through it with six setups while the light was perfect.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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A-camera operator Geoffrey Haley, SOC (L) says more than any other actor he\u2019s worked with, Phoenix goes where the moment takes him. \u201cIt\u2019s thrilling to witness, but also a bit unnerving, because every take is unique,” Haley reflects.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Instead of sweeping, operatic camera moves, Joker<\/em> <\/strong>used a lighter touch. \u201cWhen we moved the camera, it was very subtle work,\u201d Sher recalls. \u201cI\u2019ve worked a lot with [A-camera operator] Geoff Haley, whose focus was on the \u2018design shot,\u2019 the \u2018conservative\u2019 shot, for lack of a better word, while B-camera, which I operated, could be more daring.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t use the cameras to just get tight and wide on the same take, but instead would get something way off-axis,\u201d Sher continues. \u201cI might be on a piece of dance floor or a piece of track, then slowly move the camera throughout in as imperceptible ways as possible. Sometimes we\u2019d both be handheld, and I\u2019d watch Geoff to see where he was going so he wouldn\u2019t photograph me. We\u2019d do this little dance around Joaquin as he performed. Even when we sometimes wound up on opposite sides of the line, the stuff still cut together nicely.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Haley says that more than any other actor he\u2019s worked with, Phoenix goes where the moment takes him, with an almost reckless abandon. \u201cIt\u2019s thrilling to witness, but also a bit unnerving, because every take is unique, and the pressure loomed large for Greg [Irwin] and me to capture it perfectly,\u201d Haley shares. \u201cWhether it was Joker\u2019s impromptu apartment dance with his mother, or his unexpected pratfall in a bank lobby, this was a world with no rehearsals and constant improvisation. There was rarely a chance for a second bite at the apple.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Irwin says that pulling focus via a monitor [a 13-inch unit with a Preston handset and Cinetape] helps him tell the story more effectively. \u201cIt opens my horizons,\u201d the AC insists, \u201cand is better than doing the math in my head with the old by-hand technical pulling. Joker<\/em> benefitted from this, because we did unique things cinematically. I would make sure with take one Larry and Todd got exactly what they needed. That was important because Joaquin\u2019s magic is right there and we had to be ready for anything. Take two, I would reach for something a little off-point if I saw it emerge, and Geoff, having worked with me for so many years, would pick up on that and start panning toward what I seized on. I\u2019d accommodate his inspirations on the fly, as well. Take three could be even crazier \u2013 sometimes these approaches wouldn\u2019t work, but when there\u2019s a possibility of magic happening, it\u2019s worth the risk.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While the bulky ARRI 65 can be challenging for fast-paced handheld or Steadicam, Haley says he tried not to let its cumbersome nature impact the fleet-footed approach. \u201cTight-spaced locations meant cramming ourselves into uncomfortable corners, and we rarely pulled apart sets even when we shot on stage,\u201d he describes. \u201cThe time saved not pulling a wall might afford an extra set-up at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sher concurs: \u201cIf you take thirty minutes to pull a wall, the actors go to their trailers, which can create drag. Compromising a little on the \u2018perfect\u2019 shot to wind up with something off-axis can work out better, especially with a unique film like Joker<\/em>. Even on stage when [walls are] wild, nine times out of ten I don\u2019t pull, because the integrity sometimes exists right there within those four walls, under that ceiling. Plus I tend to light sets as fully three-dimensional spaces rather than for a particular shot, which lets me just jam through coverage.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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First AC Gregory Irwin, who pulled focus via a monitor with a Preston handset and Cinetape, says Phoenix’s “magic is right there and you had to be ready for anything.”<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One major set featured a talk show hosted by<\/strong> Robert DeNiro\u2019s character, where Sher notes, \u201cwe stayed true to period tech. We had a lighting consultant who had worked on The Tonight Show<\/em> and knew the gear. In the wide shots, the lighting is visible, so you can see 5K and 2K Mole-Richardsons, plus old Zip and Cyc strips. Elsewhere in the film, when it was appropriate, I wound up using a lot of older tungsten, in addition to LED.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For years, cinematographers often bemoaned dealing with mixed-color lighting on location, but now that realistic look has become more desirable. \u201cOne of the beautiful things about films in the 1970s and 80s,\u201d Sher continues, \u201cwas that cameras got light enough so you could get away from the controlled studio shoots and get out into those streets. You\u2019d see cool-light and warm-light fluorescents playing together with daylight coming in the window \u2013 mixed-light scenarios tied into the idea I like that nothing is balanced and perfect.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cIf you look at Taxi Driver<\/em>,\u201d adds Ramsey, \u201cyou can see how [period] film stocks reacted to a mix of fluorescents. Today, it\u2019s sometimes hard to even find fluorescent units \u2013 especially units that haven\u2019t been cleaned up, with the bad CRI and major green spikes. Even Manhattan subway platforms have changed into something closer to true 3200 degrees. We were adding green to household and industrial fluorescents to get them back into that ugly range. We had traditional sodium wall pack-type fixtures that went on stands to sprinkle into backgrounds. We had blue metal-halide too; it added a bit of green, creating a nice mix of off-color sources. Years spent struggling to correct the look, and now we\u2019re trying to make it look bad again!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Haley, who says he\u2019s spent the last three years shooting Marvel films, calls Joker<\/em> a breath of fresh air. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a pre-vis, wire-rig, blue screen or mo-cap suit to be found, no fancy rigs or intricate oners; it was all fairly low-tech by modern blockbuster standards,\u201d he concludes. \u201cI loved shooting among the gritty chaotic streets and subways, helping tell this story of a well-meaning guy who spent his life being battered by an abusive society.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Sher, who used a partial P3 pipeline for Godzilla<\/em>, went one step further for Joker. <\/em>\u201cThe monitors and dailies were all P3, which for me was very important,” he recounts, “because there\u2019s a translation going on when you view in a different colorspace.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While Gotham was mostly visualized on New York locations,<\/strong> set extensions were used for embellishment. \u201cHugh drew all the VFX set extensions ahead of time, based on his ideas and input from Mark and me,\u201d Phillips relates. \u201cVFX Supervisor Edwin Rivera came up with lots of useful concepts while offering some brilliant solutions to problems we hadn\u2019t even conceived.\u201d [VFX work was split between Scanline and Shade.]<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

On Godzilla<\/em>, Sher had tried to keep the film in a P3 colorspace through most of the pipeline \u2013 for Joker<\/em>, he took it a step further. \u201cThe monitors and dailies were all P3,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was a Rec.709 version that Editorial could cut to, but everything I saw was P3, which for me was very important because there\u2019s a translation going on when you view in a different colorspace. It\u2019s human nature to get used to how something looks during editing, and then get a shock when you go into final coloring. By having P3 there all along, you can avoid this. I recognize the various issues with this approach, but I feel everybody needs to agree on a single colorspace.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Phillips appreciated this, noting; \u201cLarry always works his butt off getting the dailies to look the way we want them. And while Jill at Company 3 is certainly an additive factor in our process, we\u2019re not relighting the look in DI. It\u2019s more about subtlety, in terms of matching highlights and making sure everything integrates.\u201d Bogdanowicz used Blackmagic Design\u2019s DaVinci Resolve to fine-tune the 5293 emulation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sher, who says he\u2019s \u201cimmensely happy\u201d with the final grade, notes how the team was able to carry the Kodak 5293 feel straight through, embellished by the addition of 5293 LiveGrain. \u201cEven when doing VFX reviews, I\u2019d think, \u2018That looks great without further tweaking,\u2019 since they used that same LUT.\u201d And while he\u2019s yet to tackle the HDR version at press time, Sher feels strongly that the final product should look essentially the same.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWhether the movie is viewed in 4K, HDR or low-fi, it should not in one version appear enhanced, but as just another deliverable,\u201d he concludes. \u201cThe hardest thing for any filmmaker is probably, after seeing his or her movie in the theater, catching it streaming or on Blu-ray and wondering why it suddenly seems so garish. What happened to the colorspace?” (Note: John Quartel led Company 3\u2019s Color Science department in designing \u201csister LUT\u2019s\u201d for different versions, including HDR for projection and Rec.709 for home video.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Reflecting on the project and its relationship to comic book and cinematic versions of the character, Phillips readily acknowledges that \u201cthe title Joker <\/em>gave us some leeway to take chances. We\u2019re using the IP in a very different way than in past adaptations. And if we had called this movie Arthur<\/em>, I don\u2019t know that Warner Brothers would\u2019ve been jumping through all the hoops we had them jump through to make it. It was a hard sell, but I have to say Warners was incredibly bold in letting us take this character and deconstruct him in such a way.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Co-writer\/Director Phillips (L) says “this is my sixth movie with Larry [Sher], and in my opinion, he is one of the great DP\u2019s. I always tell him that if he changed his name to Lorenzo, he\u2019d probably get even more respect.\u201d<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Joker – Local 600 Crew <\/strong>List<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Director of Photography: Lawrence Sher, ASC<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A-Camera Operator\/Steadicam: Geoffrey Haley, SOC<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A-Camera 1st<\/sup>\u00a0AC: Gregory Irwin<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A-Camera 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0AC: Tony Coan<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

B-Camera 1st<\/sup>\u00a0AC: Tim Metivier<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

B-Camera 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0AC: Sarah May Guenther<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Loader: Carrie Wills<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Camera Utility: Keith Anderson<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

DIT: Nick Kay<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Still Photographer: Niko Tavernise<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Publicist: Larry Kaplan<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lawrence Sher, ASC, re-teams with The Hangover’s Todd Phillips to spin a new kind of origin tale. By Kevin Martin \/\u00a0Photos by Niko Tavernise   While Batman\u2019s origins are better known to some fans than their own genealogies, the beginnings of his greatest nemesis, The Joker, remain tantalizingly ill defined in both comics and film. Batman co-creator Bob Kane claimed the arch-villain\u2019s appearance was inspired by actor Conrad Veidt in a silent film; but in terms of backstory, it wasn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWild Card - ICG Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wild-card\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wild Card - ICG Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lawrence Sher, ASC, re-teams with The Hangover’s Todd Phillips to spin a new kind of origin tale. By Kevin Martin \/\u00a0Photos by Niko Tavernise   While Batman\u2019s origins are better known to some fans than their own genealogies, the beginnings of his greatest nemesis, The Joker, remain tantalizingly ill defined in both comics and film. 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